President Bola Tinubu has urged House of Representatives members to support a community-driven approach to tackling insecurity across the country.
Mr Tinubu made the call on Friday at an interfaith breaking of fast with the lawmakers at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He stressed that security challenges must be addressed holistically, with special attention to the grassroots level.
He said, “Security is local. If security is local, we just have to work together to make sure that we are safe.”
He reiterated the need for lawmakers to mobilise public support for the creation of state police as part of efforts to strengthen the security architecture of the country.
“We have to put pressure on our people to accept the need for state police,” the president said.
Mr Tinubu, however, cautioned that the proposed state policing system must be properly structured to avoid abuse.
“Its not a straight free fall for everybody. Tie it in a way that it will not be abused like in the past,” he said.
He also noted that lawmakers must draw lessons from previous governance experiences.
“A good legislator must learn from the past to cure the present,” he added.
Mr Tinubu commended members of the National Assembly for supporting key reforms undertaken by his administration.
He specifically thanked them for backing the removal of fuel subsidy and the foreign exchange reforms.
“None of you asked if we could reverse the removal of subsidy or the foreign exchange flotation of the naira. You collaborated and joined together as a team. You gave me the inspiration to move on when the heat from critics was very high,” he added.
The President said the reforms had helped to steer the country out of difficult economic conditions.
“I thank God that we are out of the dark tunnel of that period,” Mr Tinubu said.
He expressed appreciation to the lawmakers for their leadership and commitment to national unity.
According to him, the large turnout at the interfaith gathering reflects the strength of cooperation between the executive and the legislature.
Mr Tinubu said the unity demonstrated by both arms of government was essential for Nigeria’s stability and progress.
(NAN)
